Davenport Harbor (Six Degrees Book 3) (14 page)

“
Go get dressed, Kitten, I
’
ll get the door.
”

“
Umm
…”

“
What?
”
I asked and was tempted to bite that sweet, full lower lip.

“
You
’
re in your boxers,
”
she whispered, her face slightly pink. I couldn’t help myself, I lifted her up from the chair into my arms and walked her back to her room.

“
And?
”

“
He
’
ll assume."

“
He would assume right.
”
Her eyes narrowed, and I sighed,
“
Kitten.
”

“
I just think you need to put on pants and a shirt,
”
she said softly, her eyes now not on mine but looking towards the floor as I sat her on the bed.

“
Why?
”

“
Because I
’
m your housekeeper, John!
” Her
cheeks flushed, her eyes not meeting mine.

“
And?
”

“
And, this,
”
pointing back and forth,
“
Could be frowned upon.
”

“
Again, and what?
”

“
John, there are people who—
”

“
I
’
ll put on my clothes, but I am not shying away with how I feel about you. I could care less what people think.
”

“
We need to talk about that.
”

“
There is a lot we need to talk about, Kitten,
”
I told her, throwing on my shirt from the night before and pulling on my pants.

“
John.
”

“
What?
”
I clipped, feeling frustrated, though why, I wasn’t sure.

“
Thank you.
”
The softness in her voice made me look at her.

Her eyes were warm, and I watched her walk to me, her hands wrapping around my waist. I leaned down, my face in her hair, and breathed in deep. I wasn’t sure what she was thanking me for, but I wasn
’
t going to question it.

“
I
’
ll watch Zoey while you work,
”
I told her, and she smiled and nodded, mouthing
okay
. Her lips were like a siren call, so I leaned down and kissed her hard. I couldn’t help it, and luckily for me, she didn’t pull away. Instead, she met me head-on, giving as much as I took. I heard another faint knock at the door and begrudgingly pulled away.

“
Get dressed. After he leaves, we are having dinner at my place. Pack a bag, you
’
re staying over,
”
I ordered, and the pink tint and nod of her head made my dick twitch.

Anne

Working with Nick Riley was fun. Not only was I able to help him—he seemed to be impressed with me—but I had learned quite a bit from him as well. Fixing the issue had only taken about three hours.

“
Seriously, Anne, this is incredible.
”
Nick
’
s voice rumbled in the quietness of the small guest house. Both of us were sitting side-by-side, laptops open on the coffee table.
“
I
’
m serious, I
’
ve had my top people working on this issue and you resolved it in three hours!
”

“
I
’
m a little rusty. I might have been able to do it quicker if I had been more familiar with the program.
”

“
I
’
m not complaining, babe.
”
He smiled at me, and I smiled back.
“
So tell me, if you are a computer wiz, what are you doing working for Davenport?
”

“
I...
”
I didn’t know what it was about Nick
’
s brown eyes that let me open up.
“
I
’
m hiding,
”
I admitted and hated the shame at the admission. I stole a glance at Nick, his face was tilted, watching me. Studying me.

“
I have been working odd jobs mostly,
”
I chickened out. His eyes still on me, he nodded.

“
If you want to freelance doing similar work like this and work from here, we could figure something out.
”

“
Nick.
”

“
You would get paid in cash. No record of you helping me.
”

“
I couldn
’
t ask you to do that,
”
I told him, and he grinned at me.

“
You didn
’
t.
”
He stood, grabbing his laptop and putting it away in his bag. I closed the one I had been working on and went to hand it to him, but he shook his head.
“
That one’s yours.
”

“
Mine?
”
I asked in wonder, looking at the silver laptop, my heart filling at the mere joy of being able to work with a computer again, even as nerdy as it made me seem.

“
You need one for the work I will be passing along to you. I
’
ll email you tomorrow.
”

“
But...I
…
what I mean is
…”

“
Anne, it
’
s all good, okay?
”
He told me reassuringly, and I couldn’t hide my giddiness at the opportunity of doing what I loved. Smiling, he shook his head, wrapping an arm around my shoulder.
“
Walk me out, kid.
”

John

Putting a very active Zoey down for a nap, I wondered how Anne was able to do everything she did and entertain Zoey throughout the week. Without an answer, I walked to the kitchen to grab a snack and watched from the window as Anne and Nick walked out. My hands tightened at seeing the little nerd’s hand over her shoulder. He shouldn
’
t be touching her. Breathing in deeply, I could still see the surprised look and knowing smirk on his idiotic face. I watched him give her a small hug, then get in his earth-friendly car and drive off.

She didn’t move from the spot. She stood there looking towards the gazebo, and I wondered what she was thinking about. She was smiling so brightly that I couldn’t help but smile as well. I watched as she started her walk towards the main house and quickly left the kitchen to head to the front door.

Opening the door, I saw that she was still smiling brightly, tilting her head at me. I stepped out of the house and grabbed her in my arms.

“
Hi.
”
Her voice was happy, and I leaned down to kiss her.

“
How did it go?
”
I asked her. Her face softened in a way that I really fucking liked.

“
Good. He seemed impressed.
”
Her eyebrows went high, her eyes went wider, and I kissed her.

“
Of course he would be. You are wonderful.
”

“
He left me the laptop. He wants me to freelance,
”
she nervously mentioned, and I put two fingers under her chin and looked at her.

“
That
’
s good, right? You like doing that?
”

“
I love it.
”

“
Then why the hesitation?
”
I asked, caressing her cheek.

“
He has to pay me cash. I can
’
t leave a trail.
”

“
He knows that.
”

“
He shouldn
’
t have to. If he hired anyone else—
”

“
From what I understand, he
’
s been having some issues getting this problem resolved.
”

“
They were looking at it from the wrong angle.
”

“
That right there is why he is more than okay with doing things the way you need him to. You are worth it,
”
I told her, knowing that she was worth so much in so many different ways.

“
Thanks.
”
She leaned in and kissed me, her hands going around my neck, and I pulled her even closer to me.
“
Was Zoey okay?
”

“
She
’
s a princess. She
’
s going to skip walking and start running,
”
I told her proudly, and she smiled at me.

“
Yeah.
”
Her voice softened as I held her hand and led her into the family room.

“
You didn
’
t bring a bag,
”
I mentioned, looking at her.

“
Yeah. I just think we need to talk.
”
Her voice was determined. I sat on the couch, bringing her down on top of me so that she was forced to straddle me.

“
Fine. Let
’
s talk,
”
I told her, sounding too confident for my own good.

“
I don
’
t think it
’
s a good idea.
”

“
What isn
’
t?
”
I questioned, and she looked at me. Her hesitant eyes stared at me, and all I wanted to do was shield her from whatever the hell put that fear behind them. Trying to focus on what she was talking about, I asked,
“
Us or people knowing about us?
”

“
Both.
”

“
I
’
m too old for you?
”
I asked, raising an eyebrow, and loved the way she laughed. It was real. Honest. And I fucking loved it.

“
No.
”
Her voice was soft and honest.
“
Not at all.
”

“
Then?
”
I pressed on.

“
I
’
m worried about the situation I
’
ve put you in the middle of and you are clueless about.
”

“
You mean about what you are running from?
”

“
John.
”

“
I can handle myself, Anne. Trust me.
”

“
I don
’
t know if I can. With you I mean.
”
I frowned, not completely understanding what she meant.

“
What?
”

“
I just mean I don
’
t know if I could keep you interested.” I laughed at her words, but her face was serious, so I hid my own in her neck as I tried to stop.

“
Kitten, everything you do catches my attention,
”
I told her as I looked at her,
“
I just want a chance.
”

Where the fuck these words came from, I had no idea, but I meant them. Surprisingly, I wasn’t alarmed by them.

“
I
’
m your housekeeper, John.
”
Her tone was hesitant, but her eyes were warm and right on my mouth.

“
I don
’
t care about that.
”

“
I just think we should be careful with crossing the lines.
”
Leaning in, I kissed her to shut her up.

She was trying to talk both of us out of this and I wouldn’t have it. She didn’t even try to protest. She kissed me back just as passionately. Knowing that Zoey was about to wake up from her nap and that we needed to eat something for dinner, I stopped things before we got to the point of no return.

“
I
’
ll order pizza while you go get a bag.
”

“
All Zoey
’
s things are back at the guest house.
”
Taking that into consideration, I suggested a new game plan.

“
Fine, I
’
ll order food and bring a bag over there.
”
I was not letting her out of my arms. She smirked at me, and before I knew it, she was kissing me. I liked her kissing me. Her lips moved slowly. Nipping and tugging. Our tongues danced as her taste invaded all my senses.

John

She surprised me when she kissed my jaw, but I leaned back and let her. The way she ground her hips into me, her mouth on my skin, made my mind blur as I let her take control. Closing my eyes, I let myself feel her as she took what she wanted. I felt her heated center over my hardness and leaned my head back onto the couch, my hands on her lower back, sneaking them under her shirt, my fingers skimming over the soft skin of her back and sides.

She took her mouth away and stared at me.
“
Can I cash in my rain check?
”
Her husky voice made my dick twitch so hard I closed my eyes.

Nodding, I pulled her in closer, opening my eyes when I ground up into her, her mouth parting into a perfect little O.

I shifted our bodies so that she was on her back on the couch, my body slightly over hers, one leg between hers, keeping most of my weight off of her, careful not to hurt her.

“
Tell me you want this,
”
I demanded, my free hand stopping right over the hem of her shirt.

“
I do,
”
she panted, her eyes never moving from mine, her stare so fucking trusting it humbled me. It made me want to cuddle her and reassure her that her trust wouldn’t be broken.
What the hell is wrong with me?
Shaking my head from the touchy feely thoughts, I looked at her. Her eyes were filled with passion. Torn between what I wanted and how I wanted to do things, I made a decision.